If everything goes according to plan in the Sept. 25 Turf Monster Stakes (G3T) at Parx Racing, Bobby Flay and Liz Merryman's Caravel will be flying on a plane to sun-splashed Del Mar in another six weeks for the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T). The 4-year-old gray filly captured the attention of the racing world with her decisive victory in the July 24 Caress Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course in what was her third straight win sprinting over the lawn following tallies in The Very One Stakes on the Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard and the June 25 Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Following the Caress, previous trainer Liz Merryman transferred her homebred daughter of Mizzen Mast into the barn of fellow Fair Hill trainer Graham Motion to ready the filly on her journey to the Breeders' Cup. In her first start for Motion, Caravel faced a salty task when pitted against males in the Aug. 22 Highlander Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine. Caravel broke on top and found herself on the lead for every pole before growing leg-weary in the final sixteenth, falling 1 3/4 lengths short of Woodbine course record holder Silent Poet at the wire.
"(Caravel has) done really well since her last race," said Motion. "It was asking a lot. It was the first time she'd ever run against the boys, first time in a grade 1, different racetrack, (jockey) Irad (Ortiz Jr.) and I, neither of us knew her that well, so I thought she had a lot of expectations on her shoulders last time, and I thought she ended up running really well. I was surprised she ended up on the lead. I think I learned a lot about her from that race."
Although the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint was held over 5 1/2 furlongs in 2020 at Keeneland, this year the race will revert back to the same five-furlong distance the race was contested over in the 2019 Turf Sprint when held at Santa Anita Park. Motion believes the shorter trip will be ideal for Caravel, who's never lost in four tries racing five furlongs.
"If we want to get her to the Breeders' Cup this is the best spot to get her there with the timing and distance of the race," said Motion. "It's five weeks since she's ran and six weeks to the Breeders' Cup. So timing wise it's perfect. It's a short ship for us being at Fair Hill. And it's five furlongs. I think it's the best race to get her to the Breeders' Cup but obviously she's going to have to run really well to get to that point."
Caravel will be piloted by Jose Ortiz in the Turf Monster.
While not a grade 1, the $300,000 Turf Monster drew a competitive field of 11 to challenge Caravel, including stakes winners Firecrow and Carotari. Robert V. La Penta and Harlow Stables' Firecrow will be making his first start since taking down the May 15 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes in track record time at Pimlico Race Course. Trained by Ron Moquett, Firecrow scorched a half-mile in :46 flat Sept. 11 over the main track at Churchill Downs, the fastest of 75 works at that distance.
Carotari is another Churchill shipper who's been lighting up the work tab coming into Saturday's contest. The Brian Lynch trainee, a narrow second in the Aug. 6 Troy Stakes Presented by Horse Racing Ireland (G3T) at Saratoga last time out after setting all the pace, breezed a bullet three furlongs in :35 2/5 at the Louisville oval Sept. 21. Three starts back, Carotari cruised to a gate-to-wire score in the March 13 Silks Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Parx Racing, Saturday, September 25, 2021, Race 9Entries: Turf Monster S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Beer Can Man (KY) Flavien Prat 119 Mark Glatt 8/1 2 2Amblin Man (PA) Dexter Haddock 121 Bryant R. Taylor 30/1 3 3Smooth B (PA) Frankie Pennington 121 Robert E. Reid, Jr. 15/1 4 4Carotari (KY) Luis Saez 126 Brian A. Lynch 9/2 5 5Firecrow (KY) Joel Rosario 126 Ron Moquett 7/2 6 6West Fork (PA) Julio Correa 121 Ernesto Padilla-Preciado 30/1 7 7Belgrano (KY) Isaac Castillo 126 Frank Russo 8/1 8 8Caravel (PA) Jose L. Ortiz 123 H. Graham Motion 9/5 9 9Battle Station (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 121 Daniel Velazquez 8/1 10 10The Connector (KY) UNKNOWN 121 Mark Hoffman 12/1 11 11Hollywood Talent (PA) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 121 Juan C. Vazquez 20/1 12 12Admiral Abe (PA) Silvestre Gonzalez 126 Robert Mosco 10/1 13 13King's House (KY) Julio Correa 121 Patrick Ashton 8/1
